Florida’s Approved Bear Season Has Connecticut Flirting With The Idea As Well

While Florida’s recent decision to move forward with a bear hunt should come at no surprise, especially considering the state endured its first bear fatality in April, the bold moves coming out of the Sunshine State have other bear-leaguered states taking notice.

The state of Connecticut has had their finger on the bear hunting button for the better part of the last decade. The problem, many say, is that the state has not conducted an updated population count in about that same timeframe. Incomplete data leads to incomplete decisions, or at the very least, a lack of supporting evidence for claims that the state has a bear problem and thus, requires a solution.

While there are fairly good estimates out there pegging Connecticut’s bears at about 1,200 animals, Connecticut’s bear problem isn’t something that is hiding out in the woods, away from prying eyes. According to reports, there have been confirmed bear sightings in just about each and every town of the Constitution State. In addition to the sightings, local police departments and wildlife agencies have been inundated with break and enters and attempted entries by black bears for years now.

On the heels of these reports, Senate Bill 1523 was introduced earlier this year in the Connecticut Senate and ended up passing with flying colors towards the end of May. With a vote of 34-2, the bill aims to amend an existing law that allows residents to request a special permit that would allow them to kill a bear if it was injuring or killing livestock, crops or even bees. 

And while the wording of the bill doesn’t quite spell out a hunting season, it’s a provision buried deep inside the bill itself that is serving as something of a light at the end of a dark tunnel for Connecticut’s bear hunters. Upon further review, the provision inside the bill authorizes the governor to direct the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to open up a bear hunting season if the department determines “that bear conflicts with people, pets, and livestock in the state have reached a level that poses a public safety threat.” 

Considering that the state endured nearly 70 documented home entries last year alone, along with stories like the one detailing how a Connecticut father shot and killed a bear that entered a garage where his children were playing, indicate that bear-human conflicts may very well have already reached the level required to trigger a bear season.

“Because the frequency and severity of human-bear conflicts have increased significantly over the past decade, DEEP supports this legislation,” DEEP commissioner Katie Dykes told lawmakers in her submitted testimony, “…we believe a regulated bear hunt is a critical and needed addition to the suite of black bear management tools we currently employ to protect the public, reduce human-bear conflicts, and support a healthy and sustainable black bear population.”

With Florida damn near set to chase bears for a few weeks in December (we need one more vote), time will tell whether Connecticut’s proposed legislation will, or at least the provision, will do the same thing.